Wednesday, May 4, 2011

U-S Open

The U-S Open is about 6 weeks away and will be playing in the neighborhood. The 2011 U-S Open will be played at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MD. It is a short 2 hour run down to Suburban DC to see the best golfers in the world play at the famed 18 just outside the beltway. The first round tees off on Thursday June 16th and will finish on June 19th. If their is a tie on Sunday evening an 18 hole playoff will be held on Monday the 20th. Tickets are still available for the weekday and practice rounds. I'm fairly certain the tournament will be decided on the 18th hole. The 18th will be played as a 523 yard par 4. In the picture above you will see the 18th on the right. All approaches will have to be exact...hit it left and you are wet...long ah wet...right into a bunker with the chance of having your sand shot roll across the green and into--you guessed it--the water. All the slopes around many of the greens have been shaved. The greens will also be running very fast all week...the USGA says they will set the greens to run about 14 to 14 & a half on the stimp meter! The floor in your kitchen is only a 12!

If you have never had the opportunity to walk a major golf event this may be one you won't want to pass up on. It will be fun to watch the best in the world look like Sunday hackers.

Defending champ Graeme McDowell played the course on Monday morning before meeting with the media and predicted that no one will break par. You should have seen the beaming faces of the USGA officials. They love when players complain about how hard a course it. One hole that McDowell singled out as very tough was the par 4 11th--which plays just shy of 500 yards. He says anyone not in the fairway will have to lay-up because the green is guarded by a pond to the right...traps to the left and a shaved collection area at the back...oh and the green is 2 tiered with a hump in the middle. Good luck.

Your next U-S Open chance comes in 2 years when the tournament is played at famed Merion Country Club outside of Philly.